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UKRAINE | Today is day 1,384 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here is your update:

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to hold talks today with leaders and other officials from about 30 countries – the so-called coalition of the willing – that are supporting Ukraine's fight against the Russian invasion. The U.S.-backed cease-fire and peace proposal to end the war is expected to be the main topic of discussion. [more]

U.S. ECONOMY | The Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate yesterday by a quarter-point to about 3.6%, the lowest rate in nearly three years. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said borrowing costs were reduced out of concern that the job market is even weaker than it appears, but also indicated he was optimistic about U.S. economic growth in 2026. [more]

U.S. DEFENSE FUNDING | The House voted 312-112 yesterday to pass the annual National Defense Authorization Act, which authorizes $900 billion in military spending, including a pay raise for military service members. The bill, which will now be considered by the Senate, also includes provisions that would cut Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's travel budget if he does not provide Congress with unedited video of military strikes on alleged drug boats near Venezuela and that provide for $400 million for each of the next two years to manufacture weapons to be sent to Ukraine. [more]

U.S. BORDER | The Department of the Interior announced yesterday that it will transfer jurisdiction along most of California's border with Mexico to the US Navy for the establishment of a militarized zone along most of the state's international border. [more]

U.S. VISAS | The White House announced yesterday that President Donald Trump's so-called "Trump Gold Card" immigration visa is now officially for sale. The program, which is meant to replace EB-5 visas, offers legal immigration status and an eventual pathway to U.S. citizenship for individuals paying $1 million and corporations paying up to $2 million for foreign-born employees. [more]

U.S. MILITARIZATION | U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer yesterday ordered the Trump administration to end its deployment of federalized California National Guard troops in Los Angeles and return control of the troops to the state, but put his decision on hold until Monday to give administration officials time to appeal the decision. Reports note that about 100 troops remain in Los Angeles – down from a high of about 4,000 during the initial deployment in June. [more]

U.S. FOREIGN VISITORS | In a Federal Register filing for public review yesterday, the Department of Homeland Security indicated that it will require visitors to the U.S. from countries that do not currently require a visa to submit their  social media for the past five years, as well as email addresses, telephone numbers, and extensive family histories as part of the Electronic System for Travel Authorization. According to the filing, the proposal is open for comment for 60 days before going into effect. [Federal Register document] [more]

U.S. PACIFIC NORTHWEST | Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson declared a statewide emergency and tens of thousands of residents in both Washington and Oregon could face evacuation orders amidst days of heavy rain that has caused flooding and landslides. [more]

U.S. SUICIDES | According to provisional data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the rate of suicides in the U.S. fell in 2024 to 14.4 per 100,000 people, down from a rate of 14.7 per 100,000 in 2023. [CDC mortality dashboard] [more]

U.S. AND VENEZUELA | U.S. President Donald Trump said yesterday that the U.S. seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela and indicated that the U.S. would keep the oil aboard the ship. Attorney General Pam Bondi said the oil tanker had been sanctioned by the U.S. for years over its involvement in an illicit oil shipping network, and reports note that the seizure was carried out by the U.S. Coast Guard with support from the U.S. Navy. Responding to the action, Venezuelan government officials called the seizure an act of "international piracy." [more]

NATO | Urging alliance members to rapidly increase defense spending and production, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said yesterday that NATO is Russia's next target, that Russia has brought war back to Europe, and that Moscow could be ready to use military force against NATO within five years. [more]

CONGO | Local officials say more than 400 civilians have been killed by Rwanda-backed M23 forces in eastern Congo's Kivu province in recent days despite a U.S.-mediated peace agreement signed last week by the Congolese and Rwandan leaders. [more]

BOLIVIA | Former President Luis Arce was arrested by Bolivian police yesterday on charges of breach of duty and financial misconduct related to the alleged embezzlement of public funds during his term as the South American country's economy minister in the government of former leader Eva Morales. [more]

SOUTH KOREA | Former acting leader Choi Sang-mok was indicted today in South Korea on charges related to the brief imposition of martial law in December 2024 by then-President Yoon Suk Yeol. Prosecutors say Choi has been charged with dereliction of duty during his period as a caretaker president for not fully restoring three vacant seats on the country's Constitutional Court, which was deliberating Yoon's removal from office. [more]

PORTUGAL | Public transportation, government services, medical appointments, and school classes are facing disruption today across Portugal amidst a strike called by the country's two largest trade union federations over the government's planned changes to employment laws. [more]

BULGARIA | Following anti-corruption protests yesterday in which as many as 100,000 people are reported to have taken part, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov announced today that his government would resign. [more]

BASKETBALL | Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson has been named the 2025 Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year. [more]

PERSON OF THE YEAR | Time magazine has named "The Architects of AI" as its 2025 person of the year, and included several industry leaders in one of its cover photos, including: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, AMD CEO Lisa Su, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, the CEO of Google’s DeepMind division Demis Hassabis, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, and AI pioneer Fei-Fei Li. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1946, UNICEF – the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund – was established with the aim of improving the health, nutrition, education, and general welfare of children around the world. [more history]